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Topic: Sharp Pencils (Read 5041 times)

I got so friggin tired of not being able to find a sharp pencil in this house or in the garage.. and the only working sharpeners here were the little el-cheapo blade kind- and they kept breaking the lead on the el-cheapo pencils Michelle bought. So I decided - I need one of those old metal classroom sharpeners like I had in school. They worked. They were reliable. They were simple. Yeah, they don't make em like they used to - but after a bit of searching I found these..

Teachers are raving about them- they have metal bodies and the claim is that hold up to elementary student abuse. I ordered a three pack ( I wanted one for the house and one for the garage, so basically its order 2 get one free) They came today and they are pretty damn awesome. My kids are sharpening pencils just for fun.. The auto feed ( I was skeptical) works very, very well. I have to mount them to the wall so they don't walk - but the mounts offered on the site are too expensive for what they are IMO. SO I will probably just take the cute little feet off and use those holes to screw it to something solid

If you got a need for one this is the one to get..

A video if you can get it to play without going to YouTube sucks because they won't just let you embedded videos anymore.com

I have a regular old pencil sharpener just like we had in school when I was a kid. I've had it since I was a kid. Still works the same. Probably will outlive me by a longshot.

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Beyond those rectangular ones at the local hardware store you only need when measuring wood to cut...

It's one of those implements that is a dying breed, and I bet for most people if they have any they are of the mechanical variety.

But, when you consider a post-SHTF world, once pens/supplies run out and there is no new production these old implements will come back into style...so stashing a bunch of them and having a reliable sharpener at hand probably is not a bad idea...

Beyond those rectangular ones at the local hardware store you only need when measuring wood to cut...

Actually wood marking was the driver and the greatest part of my annoyance..I am not a fan of the rectangular kind you whittle to sharpen... When I am wood working I usually need a good point because I am trying to be accurate in cuts to 1/16 or better. The rectangular are awesome if you are framing and cutting 2x4s, but in my experience they need constant attention when doing finer work ( trim, joints and so on..) - Mechanicals don't last long in the shop, the rectangular you have to work to keep sharp. A #2 Dixon Ticonderoga (with playful green eraser holder - and the only pencil you will see in movies..) will last a good long time.. And this sharpener won't let you over sharpen.. It quits, so you stick it in, and in 10 seconds you have a sharp pencils that was shaved only enough to obtain a new perfect point.. (the artist types who pay $8-15 for particular fancy art pencils did comparisons and were pleased to find that this sharpener wasn't destroying their prize possessions faster than necessary)

It is also still the primary implement used for doing work in schools and I still have two school aged children who were actually quite excited and smiles about the new sharpeners..My daughter even said "I could sell really sharp pencils for $1 a pop..."

Beyond those rectangular ones at the local hardware store you only need when measuring wood to cut...

Actually wood marking was the driver and the greatest part of my annoyance..I am not a fan of the rectangular kind you whittle to sharpen... When I am wood working I usually need a good point because I am trying to be accurate in cuts to 1/16 or better. The rectangular are awesome if you are framing and cutting 2x4s, but in my experience they need constant attention when doing finer work ( trim, joints and so on..) - Mechanicals don't last long in the shop, the rectangular you have to work to keep sharp. A #2 Dixon Ticonderoga (with playful green eraser holder - and the only pencil you will see in movies..) will last a good long time.. And this sharpener won't let you over sharpen.. It quits, so you stick it in, and in 10 seconds you have a sharp pencils that was shaved only enough to obtain a new perfect point.. (the artist types who pay $8-15 for particular fancy art pencils did comparisons and were pleased to find that this sharpener wasn't destroying their prize possessions faster than necessary)

It is also still the primary implement used for doing work in schools and I still have two school aged children who were actually quite excited and smiles about the new sharpeners..My daughter even said "I could sell really sharp pencils for $1 a pop..."

I'm a big pencil user in my shop. No fancy sharpener, though. I prefer to use my knife. I can hone the point down where it doesn't break as easy. I have to sharpen it more often, but that's the only trade off.

Beyond those rectangular ones at the local hardware store you only need when measuring wood to cut...

Actually wood marking was the driver and the greatest part of my annoyance..I am not a fan of the rectangular kind you whittle to sharpen... When I am wood working I usually need a good point because I am trying to be accurate in cuts to 1/16 or better. The rectangular are awesome if you are framing and cutting 2x4s, but in my experience they need constant attention when doing finer work ( trim, joints and so on..) - Mechanicals don't last long in the shop, the rectangular you have to work to keep sharp. A #2 Dixon Ticonderoga (with playful green eraser holder - and the only pencil you will see in movies..) will last a good long time.. And this sharpener won't let you over sharpen.. It quits, so you stick it in, and in 10 seconds you have a sharp pencils that was shaved only enough to obtain a new perfect point.. (the artist types who pay $8-15 for particular fancy art pencils did comparisons and were pleased to find that this sharpener wasn't destroying their prize possessions faster than necessary)

It is also still the primary implement used for doing work in schools and I still have two school aged children who were actually quite excited and smiles about the new sharpeners..My daughter even said "I could sell really sharp pencils for $1 a pop..."

Those broad, flat-sided pencils are called "carpenter's pencils". Believe it or not, they actually have a sharpener for those, now. It's really just a bigger, more mechanically intricate version of the old blade sharpener, but it works. Only thing is it rounds the sharpened bit. I always wondered about the shape and "special" use of those things, but can't come up with anything other than they hold up better, being beefier and all, when marking rough lumber. Dad always carried one and used a knife to sharpen his. In fact, he was my "in house" pencil sharpener while I was in school. He always tried to sharpen one so slick it looked like it was done with a mechanical sharpener. In marking any lumber or trim with a pencil, it's best to follow his "take the line, leave the line" rule when sawing:If you're marking, or "scribing" as they called it, from a pattern (another piece of the desired length), take the line.If you're using a rule to measure the cut length, leave the line.

My brother was gutting an old house several years ago and piling some of the old trim in my shed. I happened to see one of those old schoolhouse sharpeners on a piece and immediately confiscated it, knowing their like would never be seen again, unless it came from China (Pfffttttttttttt...). Took some time and a lot of WD-40 to free it up but it was all worth it. Works like a charm. Now, I just need to find a hopper for it. Yeah, I still use pencils but I always try to get the ones made with real cedar wood. The ones made from pressed plastic bits suck--but they do give you the option of sharpening with a lighter, in a knife-less situation.

The kids and wife use one hanging in the craft room. I'm quite sure it's older than I am. Looks like the one I used in Kindergarten. The oldest has a talent for drawing, so she has loads of pencils of different shades.Out in my building, I just use a knife.

The kids and wife use one hanging in the craft room. I'm quite sure it's older than I am. Looks like the one I used in Kindergarten. The oldest has a talent for drawing, so she has loads of pencils of different shades.Out in my building, I just use a knife.

Probably older than me, as well, if it's the gray hopper with chrome ends, gray pot metal stand, with the name on a metal plate on the hopper--can't remember the brand name even though I must have stared at it for hours in my youth. Those things were ubiquitous and indestructible. The one I salvaged is probably even older than that--the stand appears to be cast (rusty), and the handle is, or rather "was", removable (at one time) being secured to the crankshaft with a set screw. The grip is wooden and pear shaped, not the cylindrical plastic sleeve on the ones I used in school. It will only accommodate the standard size pencil--no bigger.

Hope you're saving your daughter's work, Kermie. Believe me, you'll be glad you did one day. I saved a lot of my daughter's stuff, even though it's rather pedestrian, and I wouldn't take anything for it. One "masterpiece" of hers I did have framed and matted, though, and give it to the wife for an anniversary present. She would have probably thrown it away had I not done so.

I guess you could say hers was what got me started on collecting kids' "art", and instilling an appreciation (or fascination) of it in me. I got quite a pile, now--from nieces and nephews and kids at church, etc.

Encourage her. Best way: buy her art supplies. Best place (or cheapest): Dollar Tree. I used to buy sketch pads for my daughter at 4 or 5 dollars apiece; toss 'em to her and say, "Fill 'er up". Get the same at DT for a buck, now. Colored pencils, permanent markers, crayons--everything but charcoal pencils. Gotta get those at Rob-ye Hobby Lobby.

As far as keeping my kids stuff, that's not an issue at all. For one thing, she only draws in a journal, or a folder. Never takes the pics out, even if she doesn't like it. Another thing, my wife a one of those people you see on tv...the hoarding type. It seems the kids are following suit.

She gets quality items for her art. One of my fav. pics by her is an old style lantern. Besides the fact I really like those things, she did great. In fact, I often pass by it and for a second wonder "when did we buy that?".

Sorry to fixate on this subject ( ) but I got really curious about just how old all these old sharpeners were and found this article that pretty well tells their history. Very interesting. "APSCO" = Automatic Pencil Sharpening Co.

BOSTON, who manufactured a similarly designed product, were a rival but not nearly as successful, from what I can gather. Spengler and Loomis (parent company of APSCO) had some patent disputes w/BOSTON, but not about the heart of the mechanism, which looks to be Loomis' original design, or his improvements on others' design.